House training pint-sized pooches?

Marsh Muppet · 08-01-2009, 09:27 AM

I've always heard that very small breed dogs are much tougher to house train due to their small bladders, etc. How true is this, and how much extra work is involved? I've mainly had large breed dogs, and I have a good system for getting that done. The smallest dog we ever had was about 30-35 lbs., and she came to us as a 90% house broken adult.

I'm looking real hard at getting a JRT or Patterdale terrier pup and would like to have a frame of reference for difficulty in house training. I understand the runts have to go out more frequently, but does the process take longer as well? How much longer?

Thx.

pugmom · 08-01-2009, 09:44 AM

I think a lot of it depends on the dogs.....my pug was a pain to potty train....mostly because she hates...rain/snow/cold/heat LOL

but my Boston who is only around 16lbs was very easy and took to it faster then almost any other dog I have had

TooneyDogs · 08-01-2009, 09:52 AM

It really depends on the dog and the consistency of training. The easiest pup that I ever potty trained was a Chihuahua.

Marsh Muppet · 08-01-2009, 09:55 AM

That's good to know. The breeders I'm looking at advertise "working lines" so they should be very weather tolerant. House breaking a new puppy in the teeth of a winter nor'easter is never going to be part of my program. BTDT! I like to bring a pup home in late spring to mid-summer. If this doesn't get done in the next couple of weeks, it's gonna have to wait about 9 months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooneyDogs

It really depends on the dog and the consistency of training.

This I have learned. Doing it right is plenty hard enough.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 08-01-2009, 10:00 AM

what are talking about Marsh?!?! Pattys are big dogs.

digits mama · 08-01-2009, 11:03 AM

Both of my Cairns were very easy to housetrain. I think it was because of being here on DF and learning the tricks to getting it done right. Like Tooney said, I think consistency is the key.. Most people arent very consistant with a smaller dogs from my experience.

LeRoymydog · 08-01-2009, 11:25 AM

I dunno... Leroy is 85 pounds and it took him over a year to be completely potty trained. I have my FIL's 7 month old yorkie here and had her for about 2 weeks and she is mostly there.

Marsh Muppet · 08-01-2009, 11:35 AM

Okay then, from where does this factoid originate? I've heard it a thousand times if I've heard it once. Does it have any basis in truth?

digits mama · 08-01-2009, 11:54 AM

What factoid?

Some people with a wee tiny puppy that pees a teaspoon as babies dont get the consistant training as say a mastiff pup that weighs 15 lbs that pees a waterfall. Or the pea size turds are over looked and shrugged off....But that is just personal experience

Marsh Muppet · 08-01-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digits mama

What factoid?

That mini dogs have to pee and poop a lot more frequently than large dogs. I'll admit to being somewhat skeptical of the claim, since they also have smaller volumes of waste to go along with their smaller organs. But I have heard it from what I would consider to be reliable sources.

Consistency in house training is never going to be my problem. If anything, I lean more towards obsessiveness. I can overlook a lot of dog hair, the smell of a wet dog, and all kinds of normal dog behavior, but a dog using my stuff as a toilet is not going to fly.

I've always believed in treating small dogs the same as large dogs. That goes double for terriers. IMO, the majority of behavior problems in small dogs could easily have been avoided by treating the little guys with the respect they deserve.

digits mama · 08-01-2009, 01:30 PM

I dont think a small dog "has" to go more often that a large breed. I think what amount goes in must come out. Regardless of size. Its all built the same.

I agree about treating small dogs the same as large dogs. I think alot of these claims are from biased individuals that think large breeds are the only way to go.. Or lazy people who pull the "oh its a small dog so its ok" card.

Sometimes you can get a dog that has trouble understanding where it is they need to go..But that can be with any dog. Consistency is rule of thumb for all of them.

I have a 120 mastiff/ lab, 2 Cairns 18 and 12 lbs, a 45 lb mix breed, and a Parsons baby foster right now. We all go out together to potty, They all hold it the same amount of time. The pup has to be takin out more frequently yes, Because he is a wee tot. But the other 4 are pretty much the same as time frame on when to go out.

Cant wait to see what you end up with.

Marsh Muppet · 08-01-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digits mama

Cant wait to see what you end up with.

I kinda had my heart set on a Patterdale pup, but there are several very good JRT breeders quite close to me. If I want to expand my search radius, but still within easy "day trip" distance, there are at least a dozen. The nearest Patts require at least an overnighter to visit. All the Jagdterriers require getting on a plane.

CoverTune · 08-01-2009, 03:40 PM

I have two chihuahuas.. the 2yr old was not that difficult to train, and my 3 month old already "gets it", she just doesn't always make it to the pad in time.

Thracian · 08-01-2009, 09:09 PM

Quote:

That mini dogs have to pee and poop a lot more frequently than large dogs. I'll admit to being somewhat skeptical of the claim, since they also have smaller volumes of waste to go along with their smaller organs. But I have heard it from what I would consider to be reliable sources.

I'm not skeptical. My 17-pound dog (2 years) can hold it a lot longer than my 7-pound 6-month-old pup.

ThoseWordsAtBest · 08-01-2009, 10:24 PM

My Miniature Dachshund is a nightmare, but to his merit he spent the first three years of his life in a kennel, not having to be concerned about where he went. We've had him over a year now, and just when we had it 100% we moved and he started peeing in the house again. Pooped once so far.

Binkalette · 08-01-2009, 10:47 PM

It took a long time for Zoey to get house trained.. We got her in December and had a HUGE blizzard the second day we had her.. We didn't get her to go potty outside until like the fourth day we had her.. she just didn't get it. Why were we dragging her out of the nice warm house and into this frozen wasteland? She just wanted to go back in and would just stand there and stare at us till we brought her in.. Finally.. by keeping her confined until we were outside again, she just couldn't hold it anymore and went.. After that she understood what she needed to do to come back inside, But then when all the snow melted.. she didn't know what to do with the grass! She kept looking for any spot of remaining snow to pee on.. >_< Definitely harder to train a winter pup. We haven't had any troubles with Maggie.. she was going outside the day we brought her home. They are from the same mother btw, and will be the same size.